The 100,000 Roofs Program was launched in January 1999. The funding was to be used up to and including 2004 to co-finance 100,000 PV systems of an average size of 3 kWp on the roofs of interested applicants.

The first internet-based evaluations were developed during this time. However, the appropriate hardware for data acquisition did not exist. In cooperation with development partners or the first customers, the data logger - a forerunner of the later WEB'log - was developed. In 2001, KACO assured an acceptance of 10 devices.

The passage of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz EEG) in 2000 intensified the development of cost-effective monitoring concepts and services to minimize downtime and secure long-term yields.

The aim was to transform the energy supply in Germany and increase the share of renewable energies (photovoltaics, water, wind and biogas) in the electricity supply - to 80% by 2050.

Electricity from renewable energies was now to have priority over fossil energy sources in the public power grid. In addition, feed-in tariffs and levies were set.

Compared to the Electricity Feed Act (1991) for the technical opening for photovoltaics, the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG, 2000) is considered an economic opening for the feed-in of electricity from photovoltaics or renewable energies. It is considered an important instrument for the expansion of renewable energies and the energy transition.

For each solar kilowatt hour fed into the public grid, the system operator received a feed-in tariff fixed for 20 years. This was initially 99 pfennigs (51 cents) net.

Monitoring became increasingly important to minimize downtime and secure yields in the long term.

In close coordination with KACO Gerätetechnik GmbH, specifications were defined and the first data logger ready for series production was developed.

The remote monitoring system, consisting of the data logger "WEB’log" and the Internet-based evaluation and analysis tool "safer'Sun" was launched.

As a joint venture between S.A.G. Solarstrom AG in Freiburg (75%) and the Swiss holding company JKP AG (25%), IST EnergieCom GmbH changed its name to meteocontrol GmbH. The entry in the commercial register took place on April 11, 2002.

All data measured at the system on site was sent via email to the safer'Sun portal. The visualization was browser-based. The user could be notified by SMS, fax or e-mail about errors at the plant, such as an inverter failure.

If settings were changed on the WEB'log via the portal, the users usually had to wait 15 minutes until the device reported again and they could check whether the changes were successful. Today, changes are implemented and checked live.

The data logger WEB'log was compatible with the 3 inverter manufacturers Siemens (Sinvert Solar), Kaco and SMA (SunnyBoy). When placing their orders, customers indicated which inverter manufacturer is used.

Today in 2023, the blue'Log is compatible with 69 different inverter manufacturers, with a total of 176 different series.

If you add other devices such as energy meters, sensors or string measurement technology, the blue'Log is compatible with more than 3,300 devices - all of which are included as standard.

The company grew and the office in Stadtjägerstraße became more cramped. Every free space had to be used. The former bathroom was converted into a storage area.

Other countries passed laws similar to the EEG in Germany to promote renewable energy, such as the Real Decreto in Spain (2004).

The first branch office of meteocontrol outside Germany was opened in Madrid, Spain.

Founding of the technical consulting division. So far, more than 3,000 yield reports have been prepared for approximately 25.6 GWp. The largest project for which a yield calculation has been prepared so far was 611 MWp in Finland.

meteocontrol took over the development and production site of I2SE in Moers (NRW).

The requirements for the control of photovoltaic plants and feed-in management increased. The number of generation plants by renewable energies in the medium voltage grid increased more and more, so that in 2008 - with validity from 01.01.2009 - a new medium voltage guideline appeared. This required all generation plants to participate in grid support (reactive power control).

The first idea for an integrated control room - the later VCOM Cloud (Virtual Control Room) - was developed.

meteocontrol reached the 1 GWp mark in monitored power.

In addition, the EEG 2009 introduced the possibility for grid operators to regulate distributed generation plants to minimize grid fluctuations.

With the release of the EEG 2009, grid operators were entitled to temporarily reduce the output of plants > 100 kW (active power control).

Opening of the branch offices in Milan and Lyon.

In 2011, the VCOM (Virtual Control Room) was introduced to the first customer, the company a+f (now Iqony Solar Energy Solutions - SENS).
 

Continued growth of meteocontrol and constant space capacities were in conflict. Therefore, the Quality Services division moved to nearby office space at the site of the company Dierig until a comprehensive expansion of the office in Spicherer Straße became possible in 2012.

The solar industry became globally competitive and a predictable business. The industry started to grow rapidly, so foreign competitors entered.

As a result of price wars and severe cuts in photovoltaic compensation, the German market collapsed. Numerous companies went bankrupt and tens of thousands of jobs in the solar industry were lost.

The picture shows meteocontrol employees at the major demonstration in Berlin in March 2012.

On December 13, 2013, S.A.G. Solarstrom AG announced provisional insolvency. As an individual company, meteocontrol, a stable and profitable company in the S.A.G. Group for many years, was only indirectly affected by the insolvency of the parent company.

Apart from that the WEB'log data logger generation, which had become technically obsolete in the meantime, was replaced by the innovative blue'Log X-Series. The developments at a glance:

• future-proof operating system
• architecture and CPU allow a high sampling interval
• modern and at the same time future-proof programming language with a huge developer community
• higher data availability
• more complex, precise and dynamic feed management
• increasing IT security requirements

Following the insolvency of the previous parent company, there were changes in the corporate structure. The S.A.G. Group was taken over by the Chinese investor SFCE International.

Foundation of the office for software development in Taiwan.

Foundation of the subcompany Raising Power GmbH, Augsburg for construction, technical management, maintenance and repair of PV plants on site.

Establishment of meteocontrol Japan Corp. as a joint venture with Suntech Power Japan Corp.

Founding of joint venture meteocontrol Chile SpA.

Founding of joint venture meteocontrol Central America SA de CV

blue'Log XC (Control) for plant control was launched.

Launch of VCOM CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)

In the meantime, the EEG had now been in existence for 20 years. Worldwide, it has been the model for up to 100 similar regulations.

The share of renewable energies in electricity consumption grew steadily: from around six percent in 2000 to around 45 percent in 2020.

Establishment of meteocontrol AMEA DMCC in Dubai

The global growth of renewable energy makes it necessary to use strong O&M processes to increase time efficiency in green energy generation.

The new smart alarms feature provides a data and component-based solution, including a machine learning algorithm to detect alarms.

Smart alarms make it possible to learn the normal behavior of an inverter as the main component of a PV system, which is then used to learn the behavior of the system. With this approach, possible losses and their causes can be intelligently detected.

Headquarters relocated to Sheridan Cubes at Pröllstraße 28, Augsburg, Germany